More Whites Gain Obamacare Coverage Than Blacks And Latinos Combined

A new report put out by the Department of Health and Human Services on the effects of the Affordable Care Act shows that the benefits of Obamacare are cutting across all major demographic groups. More white Americans received coverage since October 2013 — when the law’s coverage provisions began to come into effect — than black and Latino Americans combined. However, the rate of uninsured is dropping by a greater percentage among minority groups than the white population.

According to the report, released Tuesday, some 7.4 million white Americans received coverage — under provisions including Medicaid, the Health Insurance Marketplace, and individual market coverage — while 4 million Hispanics and 2.6 black Americans gained coverage in that period.

As a result the uninsured rate among white Americans dropped from 14.3 percent to 8.3 percent, for a net decrease of 6 percentage points. Proportionally speaking, the drop in the uninsured rate was even greater among minorities. For Hispanics, the rate of uninsured dropped from 41.8 percent to 30.3 percent — a net decrease of 11.5 percentage points — while black Americans saw a net decrease in their uninsured rate of 10.3 percentage points, dropping from 22.4 percent to 12.1 percent.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell unveiled the new numbers — which come ahead of the third open enrollment period beginning Nov. 1 — at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

“Until we know all Americans have a chance to find affordable coverage, quality care, and the tools to make the best decisions for their health, we will struggle as a nation to move forward,” she said in her remarks.